TOURNAMENT PLAYED AT NEW ROME TENNIS CENTER AT BERRY COLLEGE
| Click here for photos of champs and finalists/second place teams. |
ATLANTA – In an extraordinary display of dominance, Georgia and North Carolina won all of the championships at 2016 USTA Southern Junior Team Section Championships.
Although all nine states of the USTA Southern Section sent teams, Georgia and North Carolina advanced to nine of the 10 slots in the finals. In the two levels that had round robins, Georgia won both and had three of the four best teams. Among the section’s other seven states, only South Carolina also advanced. The final tally was Georgia: four champions, two finalists, one second-place; North Carolina: three champions, two finalists, one second-place and South Carolina: one finalist.
USTA Atlanta, the largest local USTA community tennis association in the country, had two champions, a finalist and a second-place team.
Matches were played Aug. 12-14 at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College in Rome, Ga. The 60-court facility was officially opened last month. The tournament is scheduled to return next August.
USTA’s Junior Team Tennis program supports coed and single-gender teams in four age levels. The teams, which represented various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations, finished at the top of their local leagues played in 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, and 18 and under levels. Within each age level, teams also played in two different skill levels -- intermediate and advanced. However, in these championships, 10 and under teams only competed in intermediate. All teams at the championships were coed.
Champions and finalists/second-place teams were:
|
Level
|
Champion
(with captain/coach)
|
Finalist/
Second-Place Team
(with captain/coach)
|
Score in final
or
*champion’s score
in round robin
|
|
10 & Under
Intermediate
|
Cary, North Carolina
Reid Kinlaw
|
Camden, South Carolina
Wendy Kingsley
|
28-25
|
|
12 & Under
Advanced
|
Greensboro, North Carolina
Dipesh Rao
|
Macon, Georgia
Gretchen Suk
|
34-24
|
|
12 & Under
Intermediate
|
Athens, Georgia
Amy Byrnes
|
Wilmington, North Carolina
Alan Donald
|
37-20
|
|
14 & Under
Advanced
|
Atlanta, Georgia
Mark Dubin
|
Charlotte, North Carolina
David Marquina
|
155-42*
|
|
14 & Under
Intermediate
|
Raleigh, North Carolina
Daniel Ebert
|
Atlanta, Georgia
Carol Edwards
|
36-20
|
|
18 & Under
Advanced
|
Atlanta, Georgia
Kerri Magee
|
Atlanta, Georgia (wild card)
Ellen Young
|
189-59*
|
|
18 & Under
Intermediate
|
Woodstock, Georgia
Stacey Tuchmann
|
Huntersville, North Carolina
Judy Perry
|
31-27
|
This year’s event drew the top coed 57 teams and about 450 players from throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. A team match consists of boys’ and girls’ singles, boys’ and girls’ doubles, and mixed doubles.
Champions in 14 and under and 18 and under levels will have the opportunity to advance to the USTA
Junior Team Tennis Championships to be played at the Lexington County Tennis Complex and the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Lexington County, S.C. The 14s championships are Oct. 13-16 with 18s championships following on Oct. 20-23. There are no national championships for the 10s and 12s.